Internet users hoping to protect their privacy by using anti-virus software, Web anonymizers, false identities and disabled cookies on their computer's Web browser have something new to worry about – a patent filed by the National Security Agency (NSA) for technology that will identify the physical location of any Web surfer.

Patent 6,947,978, granted this week, describes a process based on latency, or time lag between computers exchanging data, of "numerous" known locations on the Internet to build a "network latency topology map" for all users. Identifying the physical location of an individual user, reports CNET News.com, could then be accomplished by measuring how long it takes to connect to an unknown computer from numerous known machines, and using the latency response to display location on a map. .............

The NSA patent does not describe the intended use of the technology by the agency, noting only general uses like measuring the "effectiveness of advertising across geographic regions" or flagging a password that "could be noted or disabled if not used from or near the appropriate location," according to CNET News. But given NSA's status as the nation's premier cryptologic organization, it's unlikely the technology will be used to improve advertising.................

The agency has come under fire in the past for spying on American citizens. In the 1970s, the agency was forced to admit that it had used its eavesdropping equipment against Jane Fonda and other anti-Vietnam War activists. The revelation led to a 1978 law banning spying by the agency on U.S. citizens and resident aliens anywhere.................

"If, as we are speaking this afternoon, Osama bin Laden is walking across the peace bridge from Niagara Falls, Ontario, to Niagara Falls, New York, as he gets to the New York side, he is an American person and my agency must respect his rights against unreasonable search and seizure as provided by the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution," Hayden testified.

Post-9-11, if bin Laden goes online, NSA may actually know where he is.

http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.a ... E_ID=46501

Ya right thats why the DoD did not have "Able Danger"

Now they can find you, ya U the one with the attitude. Come get U and place U in a quarantined area because U have the FLU H5N1.

Oh HECK !!! We got that under control in Amerika. We just have not acquired any vaccine like the EU Nations did. We got a better way. We saved money.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush suggested using the military to contain any epidemic of avian influenza on Tuesday, saying Congress needs to consider the possibility.

He said the military, perhaps the National Guard, might be needed to enforce quarantines if the feared H5N1 bird flu virus changes enough to cause widespread human infection.

"If we had an outbreak somewhere in the United States, do we not then quarantine that part of the country? And how do you, then, enforce a quarantine?" Bush asked at a news conference.

"It's one thing to shut down airplanes. It's another thing to prevent people from coming in to get exposed to the avian flu. And who best to be able to effect a quarantine?" Bush added.

"One option is the use of a military that's able to plan and move. So that's why I put it on the table. I think it's an important debate for Congress to have."

http://today.reuters.com/news/newsartic ... IRDFLU.xml

TUT

good info....always nice to know that stuff.

i have a program that alerts me when an intruder attempts to break into my computer. it blocks them, then it locates their ISP provider, then it scans the world for their location...anywhere on the globe, and shows me the country and city where they originated from. it ID's them via their ISP provider with their IP address. i have another progrm a that can track people right down to their home, but i'm not supposed to brag about that.

always have to be careful on the net...you never know who is watching you.

Good info TUT. Always brings to mind the movies "1984" and "Enemy of the State". Scarey really. Very cool mga! What programs are those?

be aware that there are protocols that do not read as intrusive, and protocols that return an IP even if access is denied. the most common is ping, which even the strictest port monitor will ignore. another common one is time, which is also seen as unintrusive. More commonly, one can use the ISP to relay to a computer (if you watch you will see you are constantly sending and receiving from your ISP).

Even proxies and maskers reveal more than you might imagine to someone who *wants to know*.

the only way I know to be totally anonymous on the web is to disconnect the puter from the modem.

the best defence is encryption, esp with older versions of the software that weren't backdoored. The older versions are harder to find but around and at best quasi-legal.

I think that one should remember that the web provides an oportunity to snoop on anyone, but the amount of data is beyond you wildest imaginings. The idea that anyone (esp the idiots at the US govt) can handle all the info, much less make any sense of it is simply beyond the pale.

Nice answer. We can only hope it is too much information to pinpoint you or me. What old systems are you referring to? My windows 95? It's on the spider web. They use computers now on phones that key in on certain words and go after those leads. It is an incredible volume of information that they're trying to watch over. The role of big brother is never done. Work work work.

How about this tidbit.


Seems up until now the military has had to stay out of the domestic spy business pretty much, but now they have a new watchdog to send out to do their dirty work.

Knock knock- Who is it? 007 at your governments service, I mean--- nobody. Sorry, not home. OK, but we'el be bock.

"ABLE DANGER"